[1] The co-founders of I.R.S., Miles Copeland III and Jay Boberg, also saw the program as an effective promotional tool for I.R.S.
Records for MTV, and directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris,[4] the first year of the show featured a variety of hosts including Jools Holland, Jeffrey Vallance, and Wazmo Nariz, before settling on Peter Zaremba, the lead singer of the Fleshtones.
[5][user-generated source] Interviews with musicians and performances were videotaped in clubs, recording studios and private homes.
[7][8] Los Angeles Times critic Terry Atkinson, writing in July 1986, called The Cutting Edge "simply the best program about pop music that we have", with "the most interesting and adventurous new acts".
A June 1987 episode presented a wide range of performers from Frank Zappa to Ladysmith Black Mambazo,[11] but overall, the series became more focused on Southern California bands, and lost popularity before ending by September 1987.